Sakura-Sensei!
by Scenic Sakura
Summary: 'The Hokage is impressed that Iruka stuck three big names together and in his mind, that means they're good enough to get placed under my care.'. "I will put them through the same test that I've given my other teams." I stated surely, waiting for his face to contort in its' usual glum expression. But it never came...Follow Sakura in an AU where she's the Leader of Team 7!
1. Changing Pace

**This Fanfiction idea is based off of _jokergirl2001 's_ fanfiction called ' _Reversed_ ' which is worth a read! The basics to this fanfiction is that it's an alternate Universe where Sakura was born in Kakashi's generation and vice versa. This first chapter is very similar to how Kakashi handled the test, however, the next chapters will prove to be very different :) I hope you enjoy and please excuse any spelling/gramatical mistakes.**

* * *

As I walk through the narrow corridor for the last time today, I go over today's events in my head. Casualty counts hit an all-time high today, which only means more paperwork for me tonight.

Letting out a long sigh, I pull out my laminated card to clock out for the night. The machine beeped twice in acceptance of my card the exact moment it read '22:57'.

"Sakura? Are you on lates tonight?" I hear my male medic partner in crime ask. I turn around to come face to face with Seikatsu.

He gave me a nervous smile as he strokes a stray hair behind his ear. His usual medic attire has been replaced with a much more casual blue jeans and green shirt combination, which, I personally think, suits his matt, brown hair.

"Actually...I've only just finished my early shift." I respond non-chalantly, earning a wide-eyed, wide-mouthed gasp.

"Jeesh Sakura!" He says before walking by my side as I start to head out of the hospital. "You know Lord Hokage isn't planning to put the extra funds into the Hospital...You won't be paid double for the overtime you do..." He tried to scold. I waved off his comment before fixing my side pouch up.

"I don't work on lives for the money, Seikatsu. I do it for our village." I said while holding the door open for my friend. "If I was in it for the money, I would have quit my job the day I started."

Seikatsu offers a shrug before blocking my path. I look at at him with a face full of attitude, fully aware that my expression is less than its' usual welcoming self. I don't appreciate being cut off my desination, and something in his body language indicated that he was about to ask a favour of me.

"I was wondering...Now that your shift is over, if you'd perhaps share dinner with me?" He stammers nervously.

I let out a quiet sigh before pointing to my side pouch with my hands.

"I've got a lot of paperwork to catch up on tonight...I'm sorry." I apologise, looking into his eyes in hopes he would see how genuine my sorrow was.

He smirks before shaking his head as if he planned for my reaction.

"No worries, Sakura. I'll catch you during our shift tomorrow. Maybe we could have lunch instead?" He suggests as he unblocked my path.

I was about to speak up to decline his offer, but something in my heart told me that he could do without hearing another rejection.

"That sounds like a plan." I smile back up at him. He gave me one of his infamous salutes before taking off in the direction of his house.

I can really be doing without this 'romance' aspect in my life...After what I did to my comrades, I definitely need to focus on my training to get stronger...' As if to interrupt my thoughts intentionally, I feel a familiar chakra signature from a shadowy man walking in my direction.

"Iruka?" I call out as soon as I could make out the face ahead of me.

"Sakura, I hope you're doing well on this fine evening." He greeted sarcastically with not so much as a smile on his face.

"What's the bad news?" I state intuitively, feeling a tense aura from him.

"The Hokage would like to see you in his office. I was told to relay that message on to you after you finished your shift...I've been waiting almost 8 hours for you to finish..." He finished in a shaky voice.

I shamefully look at him with raised eyebrows as I scratch the back of my head.

"Damn...Sorry about that Iruka...Can I get you food or..."

"I'm supposed to be taking Naruto for dinner tonight...He's going to be so pissed off at me." Iruka responded robotically, as if he'd ignored my offer.

"Here," I start while handing him a lump of money. "Keep the change, I know it's not going to un-piss Naruto...but I hope it helps." I said before walking at a brisk pace to the Hokage tower.

Iruka had muttered something about patience as he headed off in his own direction. I place my left hand on my head. A soft glow of green emitted from my hand as I numbed the dull headache that I could feel approaching.

"I wonder if one of my patients has complained about me or something..." I said out loud, recalling the moment I whacked a woman around the head for being completely hysterical. In all fairness, she did give me permission to at the beginning of her labour.

I drag myself up the stairs before reaching Sarutobi's door.

"Knock, Knock." I attempted comically without tapping the door with my hand.

To my surprise, the door swung open and I was met with three of my old friends.

"Ah..." I said as I stepped in the room, expecting the three to leave. However, they remained in place as if they were included in this meeting too. "I don't think I like where this is heading..."

Asuma closed the door before returning to the small group.

"Sakura...I'm relieving you of the duties at the Hospital." Sarutobi spoke up. I shook my head firmly before meeting his gaze.

"No can do. I have an operation to perform tomorrow and paperwork to fill in." I denied his order straight away with my logical reasonings. There's no reason for him to take me off medical work...I'm doing my part in the village by healing the injured, so I can only assume that the Hokage wants me back on the battle field.

"I've arranged cover for you. You can finish off any paperwork and hand it in. It's an order, Haruno. One that's been made for your own good." He spoke in a low murmur.

I was about to bite back at him but I recognised that if I did respond, I'd sound like an angsty teenager. So I held my tongue for now.

"What would you have me do? I need to pay my rent." I state blankly, avoiding Kurenai's stern glare.

"I'm assigning you the role of a Sensei." He starts. I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes at him as if to wait for the punchline. "You'll be in charge of a three man squad, starting tomorrow."

I wait patiently to hear more from him, but he chose to stop his sentance there. I poked my little finger in my ear and itched it slightly in irritation.

"What rank?" I question, very aware of the three shinobi staring at me to see what my reaction would be.

"Genin." Sarutobi clarifies easily. I looked at everyone else's faces for a brief second, taking in the smug expressions before looking back at Sarutobi and removing my finger from my ear.

"You do realise that I'm not going to go easy on anyone, just because they're Genin."

"I wouldn't ask of anything less of you, Sakura."

* * *

"You guys fail." I stated for the fifth time in this month. The team I was assigned looked at me sourly before looking at each other for support. I swiftly pick up the bento boxes on the ground before stowing them away in my backpack.

"You can't just fail us! Iruka-Sensei chose us to graduate from the achademy early so that we could get an instructor! We're the best in the class!" Konota shrieked, crossing her arms in a huff. I simply pulled down on my Jounin vest before re-adjusting the sleeves on my red hoodie.

"Iruka-Sensei clearly passed you three too early. You all missed out on the most important part of this test. Teamwork." I state clearly before holding my hips with my hands. "You should _all_ return to the Academy. Now."

The three left without so much as a 'bye' as they all sauntered in the direction of their old school.

I let out the tense sigh I'd been keeping back for the whole of the test...It's been three years since the Hokage had assigned me the role of a sensei...and within those three years I've yet to find a team who could even grasp the concept of working as a team.

I walked over to the memorial stone before sitting respectfully in front of it.

"At least I can pay my respects to my old friends more often." I murmur as I bowed my head. Keeping the negative, self-harming thoughts away from my mind, I sat there for an hour and reminded myself of all the good times I had with my old team.

* * *

"I'm assigning you a new team." the Hokage said with a suspiscious sparkle in his eye. I raise an eyebrow at him in attempts to get him to elaborate.

"The team will be, Uchiha Sasuke, Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto." He continued. an all boys squad? That's rare enough in itself...I'm sure Sarutobi's intentions are to impress me with the names he read aloud, but I remained relaxed and confident.

Sasuke is the last remaining Uchiha in the village. I've seen him around a few times but ever since Itachi wiped out the clan, he's spent his time somewhere else...He's not awakened his Sharingan as far as I can tell so he wouldn't prove to be much of a challenge.

Sakumo died horribly, leaving Kakashi at a young age. He was an extremely kind and loyal man who loved his son dearly. The villagers attitude towards him drove me insane...I only wished that I could've picked up on his depressed state...He would always downplay how he truely felt. If only I'd taken a leaf out of his book instead of taking unnecessary risks...

I shook off that trail of thought before snapping myself back into focus.

Lastly, Naruto...The kid who held the ninetails inside of him. Minato-Sensei's son...I've had to treat a few of his minor injuries when I worked in the hospital. But I've not seen him properly in three years... I've heard that he's chosen to use his free time to deface the stone faces of the previous Hokages.

I'm thinking that the Hokage is impressed that Iruka stuck three big names together and for some reason that means they're good enough to get placed under my care.

"I will put them through the same test that I've given my other teams." I state surely, waiting for his face to contort in its' usual glum expression. But it never came.

"I have a good feeling about this one."

* * *

I slowly made my way to the academy after the other Sensei's had collected their teams. I don't really feel like bumping into them or their child teams on my way there. I'm growing sick of their dissaproving looks. I know that Iruka, in particular, hates the way I treat the Genin.

I fix my hair into a ponytail as I walked into the building, hapily being met with an empty building as I heard mumbles.

"Must be the new team." I sighed, setting myself up again for another failed test before I'd even had the chance to see the kids in combat.

"Pft...Like a Jounin is going to fall for such a simple booby trap." I heard a voice mutter. I reached the door before noticing that it was slightly ajar. Must be one of Naruto's jokes...I could used this to my advantage. I held the door firmly in my hand.

I refrained from giggling as I could sense the kids in the room tense up in anticipation.

Putting them out of their misery, I walked into the room without a care, letting the eraser bounce off my hair, leaving a big cloud of chalk to spread out wide above my head.

"Gyahahahaha! You fell for it!" Naruto roared, clearly impressed with himself. I ignore him for a moment to get a better look at the two other shinobi.

Sasuke's expression was as clear as an open book. Side glancing at me as if I was the piece of shit on his shoe. He looks exactly as cold as Itachi.

Kakashi, however, looked straight at me with a blank expression. Wearing a mask over his mouth and nose, I chose to ignore his questionable fashion before returning my gaze to Naruto.

"Haha...Huh? Haruno-Chan?" Naruto said with a white face. "I-I'm sorry, that was meant for our sensei." He said while waving his hands frantically.

"I am your Sensei." I said bluntly, patting the remaining chalk from my hair. "And I've gotta give my first impression of you all..." I said as I leaned to the side with my left hand on my hip. "I don't like you guys."

The three fell silent while I lead them to the roof for the first standard phase of my test.

They each sat down wordlessly on the steps as I leaned against the bar opposite them.

"Ok...Let's begin with some introductions." I said as if repeating myself for the hundreth time.

"What do you want to know, Haruno-Chan?" Naruto asked.

I crossed my arms before looking down my nose at him.

"You'll address me as Sakura-Sensei now, Naruto." I scolded. He merely shot me a huge miscievious grin while nodding his head. I sigh before continuing. "We'll start with your likes and dislikes...dreams for the future, hobbies...stuff like that..." I threw in as an example.

"Hey hey. Why don't you introduce yourself to us first?" Naruto retorted. I sighed impatiently while uncrossing my arms.

"Yeah, you look suspicious." Kakashi chimed in.

I refrian from rubbing my face in irritation. Never in my career have I come across such stubborn kids.

"Alright, my name is Haruno Sakura. I like to spend my time doing my part in the village. I dislike slackers. Dreams for the future are none of your concern and I have hobbies." I said in an attempt at getting the team as irritated as I felt.

Naruto was the only kid to show an expression that amused me as Kakashi whispered something in his direction. "Now It's your turn, starting from the right."

"Oh! Thats me! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I like cup Ramen! What I like even more is the restaraunt Ramen Iruka Sensei buys me. What I dislike is waiting 3 minutes for the cup Ramen to cook, My dream..." He started a bit too enthusiastically for my liking.

Does he think about anything besides Ramen? I sweat dropped while waiting for his grand dream of becoming the King of the cup ramen or something similarly crazy.

"Is to surpass the Hokage! And then have all the people of this village acknowledge my existance!"

I'm not sure how well my face hid the shock I felt. This kid seems to be wanting to grow up to be part of the village...That's always a relieving thing to hear from troublemakers.

"Hobbies...Uh. Pranks I guess?" He finished, flattening my hopes in him slightly.

"Okay, Thank you Naruto. Next."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are lots of things I dislike but I don't really like anything. And I don't want to use the word 'dream' but I have an ambition. The resurrection of my clan and to kill a certain man."

The kids beside him turned to face him, Naruto became ghost white as he studied Sasuke, Kakashi more uninterested in what he was hearing gave him a stare as if to say 'really?'. I wouldn't have expected anything less from him if I'm being honest with myself. This team already looks like it will fail from the lack of Teamwork and it will be Sasuke who lets the team down this time.

"Okay...And lastly, you." I said, moving my attention to Kakashi.

"My name's Hatake Kakashi. My likes are follwing the Shinobi laws, my dislikes are those who break the rules. My dream is uncertain...I'm sure I will find something along the journey. My hobby is reading books." He said, reminding me a small bit of myself when I was his age. Surprising, though, that he's into reading books.

"Ok, that's enough of that, We will start our duties tomorrow." I said monotonously, homehow hyping Naruto up.

"Yay! What kind of duties?!" He exclaims

I'm going to have a headache with these lot...

"First we are going to do something with just the four of us."

"What?!" He responds comically, it's almost as if he thinks that he's the only person I'm speaking to...my hopes in this team are as low as they always are.

"Survival Training."

"Survival training?" Naruto instantly repeats.

"Why is our duty, training? We did plenty of training at the Ninja Academy." Kakashi joined in, causing me to smirk.

"I'll be your opponent, but this isn't normal training." I repond, feeling mentally tired of the back and forth conversation.

"Then...Then what is it?!" Naruto questions impatiently, earning himself a chuckle from me.

"What's there to laugh about, Sensei?" Kakashi asks.

"Well, It's just that when I tell you guys, you're definitely going to flip."

"Flip?" Naruto repeats, yet again.

"Of the twenty seven graduates, only nine will be chosen as Genin. The rest will be sent back to the Academy. This training is a super difficult exam with a failure rate of over sixty six percent." I bark, causing Naruto to turn white again. Kakashi held a stern expression to hide his anxiousness it seemed, while Sasuke remained composed.

"Hah...I told you you'd flip." I laugh softly.

"What the hell?! But we worked so hard...Then what was the point of graduating?!" Naruto raged.

"That's just to select those that have a chance to become Genin."

"Uhh...What?!"

"Anyway," I said to get off the conversation with Naruto. "Tomorrow you will be graded on the training field, bring all your Shinobi tools. Oh, and skip breakfast...unless you enjoy throwing up."

Naruto looked down as his body started to tremble. I smirk as I walked towards the group.

"The details can be read on this printout. Don't be late tomorrow." I said before passing the three a small leaflet.

I refrained from whacking Sasuke around the head as he immediately scrunched up his piece of paper. Naruto and Kakashi intensely start to read what I'd gave them. Essentially, the piece of paper I handed them is encouraging them to work against each other by focusing solely on themselves.

Leaving the three kids behind, I jump down from the roof and head in the direction of the bar. I am definitely going to need a nightcap tonight.

* * *

It hit half eleven as I took a shot of Sake. Gulping it down effortlessly as my throat and tongue had already become numb from the alcohol I drank before.

"Tough day? Sakura?" I hear a mans voice come from my left. I was surprised to find my old partner in crime, Seikatsu, taking a seat next to me.

His hair has grown longer and it's styled in a more wild-fasion since I'd properly seen him last.

"Every day I'm away from the hospital is a tough day...I haven't even met my replacement so I can't get a hold of his skills for myself..." I respond sourly, pouring myself another shot.

"Kabuto is a good medic, you could say he's just as good as you." He said as he pat me once on the back.

"Well, did he have training from one of the Legendary Sanin? Didn't think so." I grumble before throwing the next shot down my throat.

"I've not been able to see you in a very long time, Sakura." He states as he places a hand on my shoulder, massaging it in a friendly like demenour. "We need to hang out more. I'd like to hear stories about the teams you've taken charge of."

I look over at his face pull a blank expression.

"I've not yet taken charge of a team." I state bluntly, picking up the bottle and drinking from it straight rather than throwing it in a shot glass.

"R-Really? You left the Hospital three years ago and the Hokage has not assigned you a squad yet?"

I held back a chuckle as I removed the bottle from my lips.

"Oh, he's given me many...I'm to be a Sensei rather than join an established squad." I inform before downing the rest of the bottle. "I've had approximately fifteen teams given to me. They have all failed my test."

"O-Oh wow. You're not being too hard on them are you? You do realise that they're only around twelve to thirteen years old when they graduate the academy...Not everyone can be lucky enough to have a professonal shinobi teaching them things too.." He said as if he was scolding me.

I ignore his comment before standing up from my seat.

"We'll have to hang out some other time. I'm going to get some rest...I don't want a headache in the morning." I grumble as I lazily waved him goodbye.

* * *

My alarm had sounded three times by the time I decided to wake up. I turn over to face the clock before being met with a time that told me I was late.

I didn't panic too much as I dressed into my usual attire, fixing my hair back and tightening my side pouch before I took out two of my pre-packed bento boxes into a bigger backpack. I threw in my alarm clock too as usual before throwing the bag on my back and left the house.

I casually stroll to the training fields, being pleasantly surprised that no one disturbed my quiet walk.

"Good morning guys." I said as I saw the three kids waiting for me in the middle of the field.

"You're late!" Naruto and Kakashi shouted in unison.

I ignore their fury and took out the alarm clock before setting it on the middle log as I'd done fifteen times before.

"Alright, It's set for midday." I rummage around my pocket before finding my bells. "Here are two bells." I started before a flood of memories rushed into my head. "Your task is to take these from me before noon. Those who cannot get a bell by noon, get no lunch. I'll not only tie you to one of those stumps, but I'll eat right in front of you. You only need to get one bell. There are only two, so one of you will definitely be tied to a stump. The person who doesn't take a bell, fails. So at least one of you will be sent back to the Academy...You can use your kunai and shurikens, You won't stand a chance of passing unless you come at me with the intention to kill."

"So, you want us to attack you with weapons...that will surely kill you?" Kakashi questioned, clearly confused.

"Pfft, You're so slow that you couldn't even dodge a black board eraser! We'd definitely end up killing you, Sakura-Sensei!" Naruto laughs loudly.

I sigh inwardly as I ignore his insult.

"Those with no talent often bark the loudest...We'll ignore Mr. Dead Last and start on my signal." I bit back, seeing that my words had got to Naruto my body tensed up in anticipation. I riled him up enough to get a reaction as he ran towards me with a Kunai.

I sped behind him before kicking my leg at his ankles, sweeping him on his feet. He dropped his Kunai before rolling on his back to face me.

"Hold up, I haven't said start yet." I said before he scurried back to his feet.

I could feel Kakashi and Sasuke tense up in anticipation as I held up my hand and formed a simple handsign.

"Okay, you can start." I said, waiting for Kakashi to strike me. To my surprise it was Sasuke that moved first. Aiming a roundhouse kick to my head, Sasuke kept a serious expression as I dispersed in a flurry of petals.

"Tch." He clicked his tongue as he frantically looked around for me. I used this time to place the bento boxes on top of the memorial and my backpack neatly next to it. I placed my hand on top of the stone breifly before sprinting to the forest clearing which had a river running through it.

I stood still while analysing my surroundings. I could see that Sasuke and Kakashi had found decent hiding spots, but a confrontational Naruto appeared in front of me, arms crossed.

Well, I've got to admit...He's definitely _different_ from my other students.

"Come on and fight me!" He shouts, overwhelmed with the adrenaline of a fight. I smile at him before clicking my fingers back.

"Ninja lesson number one, Taijutsu...Let me educate you." I said whlie opening my stance. "Come on then. Let's not waste anytime Mr. Dead Last." I taunted.

Naruto raced towards me with an average punch aimed at my head. I blocked it easily. He threw a lazy kick at my head. I ducked underneath his leg and grabbed his ankle.

"A ninja isn't supposed to get caught by the enemy." I reprimanded before throwing him into the river.

"Gyaaaah!" He comically shouted before coming in contact with the water. I briefly glanced over to check that Sasuke and Kakashi were in the same spots, which they were. I turned around to start walking away.

I hear something quickly cut through the river and head towards me. I took my Kunai out of my pouch before deflecting the shuriken that were inches away from my face.

I watched the river for any more movements. a few moments passed before Naruto scrambled out of the water, gasping and coughing for air.

"Hey, what's wrong? If you don't get a bell by noon, no lunch." I remind in a patronising tone, causing Naruto's head to snap up in my direction.

"Yeah I know that!" Naruto barks.

"You sure are weak for someone who wants to surpass the Hokage." I tease, placing both my hands on my hips.

"DAMNIT! I CAN STILL FIGHT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH! I was just a little careless..." Naruto groaned as he slowly got himself up.

"Ever hear that carlessness can be your own worst enemy?" I said while turning my back on him, tempting another illogical response from him.

Much to my surprise, I heard multiple splashes come from the river, so I peak over my shoulder to see that Naruto had produced 8 clones.

"Hah! My specialty, Shadow Clone Jutsu! You better not get careless, there's more than one of me now!" Naruto shouts victoriously.

"Not just a clone but multiple Shadow clones. The skill that creates not just an illusion, but miltiple real bodies of yourself..." I murmur, slightly in awe of the forbidden jutsu...I heard that this was the jutsu that helped him pass his graduation. "No matter how many clones you produce, you're still Naruto. You can't beat me with that-"

I let my gaurd down momentarily as I felt something grab onto me, holding my shoulders back, His weight didn't shift my feet but a few moments passed where the rest of Naruto's clones jumped on the opportunity to hold me down by my legs and ankles.

"A ninja isn't supposed to get caught. Right, Sakura-Sensei?" He said as the real Naruto jumped in the air in attempts to gain enough momentum to give out a hard punch. "Here it comes!" He shouts. He couldn't have given me better cues if he tried.

Just before his punch came in contact with my face, I made a handsign before dispersing into a bunch of petals, in turn, making Naruto punch the face of his clone. I reformed on top of the tree opposite the trap I set earlier on.

"Damnit!" He roars as his clones dissapeared with a cloud of smoke. He looked around frantically for any sign of me before noticing the shimmer of light reflecting from the bell I'd placed down.

"Haha! She must have been so desperate to escape that she dropped a bell." Naruto giggles to himself.

Two seconds later he was hanging in the tree with a rope securely tied around his ankles.

"Ah, C'mon!" Naruto growled as he tried to stretch his arms far enough to grab a bell.

I jumped down from my position and bent down to pick the bell up myself, reattatching it to my side.

"You shouldn't fall for such an obvious trap, Idiot." I said, a smirk unwillingly tugging at my lips. Naruto might be an idiot, but he's definitely makes for some good entertainment.

"God Damn It!"

"A ninja must be able to read what's underneath the underneath." I quoted.

"Yeah, Yeah! I already know that!" Naruto grumbled as he waved his arms around.

"Uh...you really don't."

Just as I said that, I heard soft rustles come from my right. I took a few steps back before looking directly at Sasuke. The shuriken he threw flew dangerously close to my face as it missed.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he ran off.

I took after him straight away, but not before Kakashi jumped on the opportunity to ambush me.

A barrage of shuriken stopped me from chasing Sasuke.

"Your target is me." Kakashi stated, jumping down to my height.

"Hey, Kakashi! Help me down here would ya?!" Naruto yells clearly. Kakashi looked as if he was going to help him out as he drew out a short sword...But instead of cutting the rope he ran straight for me.

"I'm busy here, Naruto." He replies, jabbing his sword in my direction. I blocked his attacks robotically.

At first I found it hard to keep up with his pattern of fighting, but a few minutes later I managed to dodge each and every movement.

Growing tired of the repetative strikes, I pulled out a shurken and tied a thin string around the top. Deflecting one of Kakashi's strike with force, I curved the shuriken around Kakashi, grazing his cheek as it wrapped around his body.

Kakashi struggled against the almost-invisible binds as he glared at me. I offer him a smile before holding my hands up to form a Rat seal.

I kept quiet as I placed him under a simple Genjutsu. Kakashi's body went limp as he fell on his knees.

"That should do the trick." I muttered to myself before nodding at Naruto.

I dart away to follow Sasuke's trail. He messily left a trail of leaves and twigs as he jumped from tree to tree so I found him standing in a clearing of the forest really easily.

I held my hands on my hips as I leaned to the side, waiting for Sasuke to make his move.

"I'm not like them." He finally spoke, making me giggle slightly.

"Say that after you get the bell...Sasuke." I taunt, waiting for him to attack. He simply stood still while glaring at me...Another thing that reminded me of Itachi. "The strength of the Uchiha clan...I wonder if that name holds any weight anymore." I state, distracting myself of the memories that threatened to hit my mind.

Sasuke reached behind him and threw three shuriken in my direction. I jump out of the way.

"Such obvious attacks are pointless." I state. However, I noticed that one of the shuriken he threw was aimed at a rope on my left.

I clocked on to the trap as soon as it was cut, narrowly avoiding ten or so short swords as I skidded out to the side.

I could barely regain my composure as I felt Sasuke appear behind me. I blocked a high kick before tightly gripping his ankle. He swung his body to attempt a punch with his right hand, however I grabbed that too. He then kicked his other leg at my head, but I blocked it again, easentially leaving him upside down in my grasp.

Sasuke smirked at me, making my heart stop momentarily. His expression looks exactly like Itachi's when I thought I bested him during a sparring session...meaning that Sasuke had made a plan that had worked.

Quickly realising that Sasuke was a hair away from snatching a bell, I let go of his limbs and jumped back.

He's certainly not as strong as Itachi...but he's definitely got the same style of fighting...I wonder why that is.

"Well, I will acknowledge that you are slightly different from the other two." I said, surprised at the slight breathlessness that overcame me.

"Hn." He hummed...another great trait he shared with his brother. He then starts to weave handsigns that, again, I'd seen before...surely he couldn't pull off such an advanced fireball technique at this stage?

Suddenly, Sasuke took a sharp breath in before exhaling a huge flame. I jumped out of the way before using a tree branch to propell myself towards Sasuke. He was too busy trying to look ahead of him at the clearing smoke to see me coming from above.

So I simply tackled him to the ground, pinning his arms above his head effortlessly with my left hand before enhancing my other hand with chakra. I poked at his ankles, knees, hip, wrists, elbows and collar bone while exerting a numbing chakra, keeping Sasuke helpess on the ground.

He scowls at me as I stand up.

"What did you do to me?!" He panicks. I stroke a stray hair behind my ear before turning my back on him.

"You'll be able to move again...by noon." I parted with, darting towards the trap someone had _just_ set off near the lunches, alerting me that someone was near them.

Unsurprisingly, Naruto sat in front of the small monument with two lunch boxes in front of him, with the full intention of eating them both.

"Hey, buddy." I state loudly as I leaned a hand on the memorial, behind Naruto, making him jump.

"Uh...It's a joke?" He offered. Within seconds I'd knocked Naruto out and tied him to the middle stump, setting the bento boxes in front of him.

I put my hands on my hips and stood still for a while, not realising how much I'd been smiling. I rubbed my cheeks before glancing back at Naruto.

"It's kind of a shame to fail them...This is the first time I've really enjoyed myself doing this job." I said out loud before looking at the clock. "Well, I better round up the leftovers."

* * *

 ** _A.N: Thank you for reading! :D I'll carry this story on if it interests enough people!_**


	2. Where's the Teamwork!

The three kids sat in line. Kakashi and Sasuke flanking Naruto as he was tied to a post.

I secptically look at them before crossing my arms.

Even though Naruto provides good entertainment...None of the rookies showed me any promise of working as a part of a team...and that's my final decision. They've shown individual strength...but that means nothing when faced with a strong opponent...Just look where it's left me...

"You guys look like you're hungry. Well...based on that training...there's no need for you guys to head back to the academy." I say in a low tone. Hyping Naruto up yet again.

"Ah yeah!" Naruto shouts joyfully looking over at Kakashi and Sasuke with a wide grin on his face.

"Then that means that all of us-" Kakashi starts, unsure of what he was hearing.

"Yup, all three of you should quit as Ninjas." I grumbled, an angry expression overcoming my features.

All three of the kids in front of me look directly at me with shocked expressions, Sasuke looking unwarrantingly as angry as I am.

"Quit as Ninjas? What does that mean!? I get that we didn't get the bells but why do we have to quit! That's unfair!" Naruto yells abnoxiously.

I uncross my arms before placing them on my hips.

"Because all of you are just losers who don't deserve the title of a ninja."

Sasuke audibly growled as he sped towards me with full intentions of harm.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi barks.

I stamp my foot on the ground firmly, enhancing the pound with chakra making Sasuke lose his footing straight away. This gave me the opening of grabbing his wrist and pulling him up above my head.

I prod the same points as before, numbing his body so he couldn't move. I hover my finger over his heart reminding him that I could end his life.

"And that's exactly why you're a loser." I say softly with a patronising tone that I'd become familar with using. "You guys underestimate ninjas. Why do you think you we devided into teams and are doing this training?"

A silent breeze passes us.

"You're not understanding the answer to this test, are you?" I question.

"The answer?" Naruto mumbles under his breath. I glance at Sasuke briefly before continuing.

"Yes. The answer that would've helped you pass this test."

The three kids clearly didn't get what I was saying. I let out a deep sigh.

"Damnit! What's the answer already!?" Naruto interrupted the peace, irritating me.

"Teamwork, Naruto. You may have been able to get the bells if you all had worked together." I scold.

"You only have two bells. Your rules were crystal clear. Even if we worked as a team, one of us would fail your test." Kakashi said, sour about the fact he missed the simple answer I assume.

"That's the point. This test is designed to see whether you can forget about your own interests and work together. Yet Kakashi, instead of setting Naruto free who was right next to you, you chose to take me on, one on one in attempts to remove my focus off Sasuke. Naruto, you were just running around like a headless chicken! You didn't even wait for an opportunity to assess your surroundings. And Sasuke," I said less emotionally as I tightened my grip around his wrist. "You assumed that the others would just get in your way and tried to do everything yourself. The duties are done by the team. There's an advantage of having a natural perk...however, Individual power is not as effective as teamwork. The ninja that choose to walk their own path during a mission can endanger your comrades. For example." I reach into my pouch and remove a kunai for a more obvious way of showing danger to the kids. "Kakashi, Kill Naruto or Sasuke dies!" I bark. I held the kunai against Sasuke's throat as I look at Kakashi with cold eyes.

"What?! No! Kakashi don't do that!" Naruto's voice cracked as we both notice Kakashi gripping his sword as if he was contemplating my order.

I put my kunai back before moving my palm around Sasuke's wrist, disabling the numbing Chakra I'd inserted into his system, before dropping him on the ground.

"You see?" I start as Sasuke regains his balance. "If a hostage is taken, you'll have tough choices to take and then die...You'll end up risking lives unnecessarily." I walk over to the memorial before letting my finger slide across the embossed names in the stone. "The names carved into this stone earned their place and are recognised as heros of the village..." I mutter, loud enough for the kids to hear me.

"Hey! Hey! I want to get my name carved on that stone too! A Hero! That's what I'll become!" I hear Naruto shout.

Where in hell does he get all this energy from?

"They aren't just any regular Ninja." I inform solumnly, hoping Naruto would catch my drift.

"Oh Yeah? What kind are they?" Naruto fires at me. I look over my shoulder to see his bright expression.

"They're Hero's who died while on duty...This is a memorial." I answer before looking back at the stone. "My best friend's name is also carved here." I continue, holding back the memoeries.

The three kids became deadly silent, giving me a small bit of hapiness that they were the first of my teams to show a small amount of respect to the dead.

I let out a sigh before turning around to face the kids.

"I'm going to be generous with you guys and give you one final chance. But after lunch, I'm increasing the difficulty tenfold. Sasuke, Kakashi, you two can eat lunch. But don't give any to Naruto." I decide on a whim with a stern expression.

"Huh?! Why not! I'm starving!" Naruto complains, his stomach rumbling on que.

"It's punishment for you trying to eat it for yourself earlier on. If either of you give him food, you will immediately fail." I inform, looking at Sasuke and Kakashi in turn. "Those are the rules. Got it?"

I left the scene and hid myself behind a nearby tree as I heard Sasuke and Kakashi dig into their lunches.

I frown more and more as time passes.

"Here..." I hear Sasuke mumble.

"Sasuke, we were literally _just_ told not to feed Naruto." Kakashi muttered.

"Don't worry, I don't sense Sakura-Sensei near us. After lunch we should work together to get the bells...Without the food, Naruto will only get in the way and it will hurt us." Sasuke says.

I pull a comical frown and nod my head in surprise, I didn't expect it to be Sasuke who would use a voice of reason.

"That makes sense." I hear Kakashi agree.

"Thank you guys! Man I'm so hungry!" Naruto thanks as I hear him munching on food.

I let out a quiet laugh. I can't believe these losers have got themselves working as a team...even though I had to prompt them to...I think it's time I teach my first set of students.

I jump out of my cover before softly punching the ground, causing rubble and dust to fly around us wildly.

"AWWW NO!" Naruto shrieks. I look up at the three before marching over to them.

"You guys...you passed the test." I inform with a warmth spreading through my chest. I gave the three the genuine smile I'd been holding back and feel my eyes crinkling.

"Passed the test? How'd we pass?" Kakashi questions. I can't tell whether he's smiling or not.

"You guys are the first to pass. Everyone else I've tested would just do whatever I said. They were all just idiots. A ninja must see underneath the underneath..." I repeat before straightening my posture. "Those who break the rules ands codes of the ninja world are called trash...But you know what? Those who don't take care of their comrades, are worse than trash." I quote, the words tastes sour on my tongue...clearly I was a hypocrite to tell the kids that...No, my students.

"So that ends that. We'll be starting duties tomorrow as Team 7!" I congratulate before walking up to Naruto and releasing his binds.

"Ah yeah! I'm a Ninja now!" Naruto chirps while stretching. "When is our first mission?! I bet it's going to be super awesome!"

* * *

The bright rays of sunlight hit my body pleasantly, The sky is without a single cloud and the breeze is cool against my skin. It's been a few weeks since my new team was formed. I enjoyed the team training activities as the boys started to give me hope. They worked amazingly as a team when they wanted to. However, I was getting tired of Naruto's constant grumbling when it came to village duties...granted, the missions we recieve just hit the D-rank.

Sasuke has become slightly more open with me during training, which is something that's always welcome. He lets me know when he's at his limit and if he needs my medical assistance...his communication skills are what will help him in future missions.

Kakashi had remained the same, personality wise, but he'd started to take an interest in animal summonings...Obviously I've explained to him that he will need to wait until he graduates to Chunin before thinking further.

Naruto, however, kept pushing himself to the limit and beyond with every training session, giving me a run for my money. He'd always faint after the training sessions from chakra exhaustion...Any physical wounds would heal relatively fast...I'm betting it's got something to do with the Kyuubi inside him.

I'm starting to become proud of my little Genin team...I didn't think I'd feel this happy being a Sensei.

"Are you taking the piss?" Naruto grumbles quietly, thinking that I couldn't hear him.

"I'm sanding as fast as I can, Naruto. You can't rush perfection." Kakashi responds while sanding the filling as flat as humanly possible.

"This is a load of bull!" Naruto huffs.

"A ninja's duty is to fullfill Missions that benefit the village, no matter how small it is." I inform as I fill in a crack in the wall and flatten it with the plastic tool.

"Fixing someone's house isn't something I'd consider beneficial to the village." Naruto moaned before picking up a paint brush to paint over the holes and cracks that had been dried and flattened.

"This house is part of the village...If this house breaks then it tarneshes the credibility of the village." I explain plainly.

"People can still live in this house. It's nowhere near breaking point." Sasuke exhales while cleaning the window pane throroughly.

"That's not the point, Sasuke." I say, trying not to faulter with my own logic.

"It's for the benefit of the villagers...right? If the civilians are unhappy, ultimately it makes for an unhappy village...They provide us with services like restaurants and Spars, and we pay that back with our time. Otherwise they could cause an uproar and in turn waste our time...Right? Sakura-Sensei?" Kakashi tilted his head as he considered his words.

"Something like that..." I nod slightly, glad that he'd come up with something.

"Eh...Well I don't see why the builders can't fix this...Ninja's are supposed to do cool stuff...like fighting!" Naruto says, shoving his hand in the air. I narrowly avoided the red paint that threatened to stain my hair. Sasuke, on the other hand, wore a large spot of red paint on his leg.

"You idiot! Watch where you throw your hands, dead last." Sasuke growls, choosing to ignore Naruto's deadly glare.

"That's cute, you're using Sakura-Sensei's nick-name for him." Kakashi threw in, crossing his arms as he'd finished sanding.

"Zip-it, Kakashi!" Sasuke stutters.

I sigh before putting my tools away. I didn't realise that this Sensei thing would be as tough as this. Baby-sitting isn't an aspect of being a sensei...or so I thought.

"Okay, kids. We're just about done." I state while stretching my arms above my head. "Let's report back to the Hokage."

* * *

"Now...Team 7. your next duty is helping the elderly complete their shopping in the neighbouring villages..." Sarutobi spoke up. I refrain from complaining.

"Nuh-Uh! I don't think so! I want to do a more incredible mission! Find us a better one!" Naruto interrupts, arms crossed in front of him to further stress his disagreement.

I offer the Hokage an awkward smile while uncrossing my arms. I could feel Iruka's cold glare on my face.

"You idiot! You're just a Rookie! You need to work your way up the simple duties!" Iruka scolds while standing up from his desk.

I could feel Naruto tense up in preparation to speak. However, I held my arm out to hush him.

"Naruto has shown great promise during our previous missions and training. In fact." I correct myself as I look in Sasuke's and Kakashi's direction. "All three of my students have proven to me that they can work efficiently and effectively as a team. I'd like to put my team forward for a C-ranked mission." I request, not as formally as I should. The Hokage gave a genuine smile in my direction, making me feel slightly awkward.

"I don't think Naruto would be able to undertake a C-ranked mission...I don't trust your judgement, Sakura." Iruka hisses.

Naruto inhales sharply in preparation to shout. But I beat him to it.

I stormed over to Iruka before slamming my hands on the desk in front of him.

"You are mistaken if you think my word means nothing. Naruto may have been a disruptive member of the public before he earned his place by my side. But, ever since, he has performed his duties as is required of a shinobi. Don't discount my skills as a Jounin either, I can rise to the occasion if required. Naruto is safe. With. Me." I grumble at him, making him cower somewhat at the deadly aura that surrounded me.

"I'm not the trouble-maker you know anymore, Iruka-Sensei!" Naruto adds in a loud voice.

"That's enough." The Hokage spoke up, feeling sorry for Iruka. I look at Iruka one last time before returning to my place. "I will grant you your request. I happen to have a C-rank mission that's been on hold for a while. It's an escort-based mission."

"YES! I can't believe it! Our first protection mission! Who do we get to protect? I bet it's a Princess!" Naruto says through small breaths.

"What's this? Are these people supposed to be my bodyguards?" A smelly drunken man slurs while pointing a bottle at us.

I do wonder why an escorting mission such as this one has been placed on hold before now...

"Team 7 will get you safely back into your Village." Sarutobi spoke up in my place.

The drunken man looked down his nose at Naruto before snorting.

"You should Introduce yourself to us." I say, not wanting to hear whatever was on this man's mind.

"I am _the_ Expert...Professional bridge builder Tazuna! I expect you to give me super protection until I get back to my country and complete my bridge." He gave a lazy introduction.

* * *

I gave the boys twenty minutes to sort their gear out before we met at the gates.

"Alright! Let's head out!" Naruto pumped his fist in the air once as he ran ahead of the group.

"What's that kid all excited for?" Tazuna grumbles, trying to keep silent so Naruto couldn't hear.

"Uh...That's because I've never left the village before! This is amazing!" Naruto responds, clearly able to hear the grumpy drunkard.

Tazuna leaned towards me, unsteady on his feet.

"Hey, am I really going to be safe with that brat?" He snorts. I look down at him with slight disdain before fiddling with my fringe.

"You can rest easy, knowing that I'm a Jounin." I say, unable to come up with anything more polite.

We all walked in silence for ten minutes of the journey. I notice that Kakashi keeps looking over in my direction, so without futher ado...

"Want to take a photo, Kakashi? It will last longer." I say immaturely, causing everyone to take a look in my direction.

"I apologise, Sakura-Sensei. I was trying to figure it out for myself since we first met." He starts. I raise an eyebrow at him in slight confusion. "That mark on your forehead...I've heard that the legendary Sanin, Tsunade, has the very same mark on her forehead."

"Oh! Yeah! That mark is quite weird...hmmmm...Is it some sort of birth defect?" Naruto interjected. Within the next second, Naruto found himself face down in a puddle after I wack the back of his head. "Ouch! What was that for?!" Naruto grumbles while getting himself up.

I notice that his face or hair isn't drenched with the water from the puddle that I'd pushed him in. Very strange...Come to think of it, It's currently very sunny and don't think it's rained in days...I side glance at Tazuna momentarily.

"Birth defect..." Sasuke repeats as we start walking again. It takes every form of strength within me not to pummel him into the ground too. "Are you related to the Legendary Sanin, Tsunade?" He questions.

I scoff. Just imagining Lady Tsunade as my relative was simply ridiculous.

"Not in the slightest. She was my mentor in the past, I earned this 'mark' on my head after years of dedication." I answer vaguely, earning a slow, respectful nod from Kakashi.

"So that thing on your head..." Naruto asks slowly, urging me to finish his sentence.

"It must be some form of seal...Right, Sakura-Sensei?" Sasuke inquisitively tries. I nod before smiling genuinely.

I open my mouth to talk, but before I could utter a word, I felt a presense emerge from behind me.

Instictively, I spin around to deliver a powerful punch to the attackers stomach, winding him almost immediately as he flew back into a tree. He attempted to stand up but he found himself falling into unconsciousness just as quickly.

I failed to notice the second Ninja in time as I saw him heading straight for Naruto with his long, sharpened claw-like weapon glinting in his hand.

"Naruto! Get out of the away!" I order. Yet he stood still...slightly trembling. I notice that the bridge builder starts to run in my direction.

I almost forgot...This is the first real battle for Naruto. I should have been a bit tougher on the team during training...It would have prepared him better for an ambush.

I perform a simple Jutsu that swapped mine and Naruto's position before defending myself with bare arms.

I wince as he tears through a few layers in my arm. He goes to strike again but I'm already in there with my numbing jutsu, striking straight at his heart to stop his body from functioning.

My attacker fell limp on the ground without another movement. However, his comrade had come around quicker than I anticipated and was seconds away from striking Naruto with his own weapon.

Sasuke pulls Naruto out a metre of the way, intended to set him on the ground to defend him...However the attacker just went straight for the Bridge builder.

I went to move my body but my legs completely gave in.

They've used a numbing poison...Damnit! I quickly set my body to work to burn off the poison in my system before I notice that Kakashi has jumped in the line of fire to protect Tazuna, using one of his short swords to block the incoming attack.

But it wasn't enough to stop the man from gouging at his left eye. Tazuna fell on his butt before scrambling back.

"Arrrgh!" A heart-dropping scream comes from Kakashi before he stumbles back a few steps.

"Kakashi!" My lungs shout on their own. I force my body to ignore the numbness while I try to stand up straight.

"This is the end for you, Tazuna!" The attacker yells while darting towards the Bride builder.

Sasuke suddenly delivered a swift, but powerful, kick to the side of the attackers face, throwing him off balance and just giving me enough time to regain full control of my body.

Much to my surprise, a few of Naruto's clones had beat me to it by sending a bunch of body slams in the attackers direction, knocking him out once again.

I leap on the opportunity to drag his unconsious body to his partners before tying them both very tightly to a thick tree, making sure I disabled the numbing chakra I sent to one of the guys' hearts.

I didn't bother to interrogate them just yet as I walked to Sasuke.

"Watch them please, Sasuke."

I quickly rushed to Kakashi to see the damage.

It wasn't looking good at all. Not only did he have blood pouring from the strike running down his face, but his body was trembling too.

"I-Is he going to be alright? Sakura-Sensei?" Naruto asks quietly. I nodded before Kakashi looked at me with his working eye.

"I can't open my other eye without it hurting, Sensei." He whimpers, causing a lump to form in my throat.

I failed one of my cute students on his very first mission! Will this truamatise him?

I shake off the thoughts before hovering my hand over his eye.

"I'm going to close the wound on your face...I'll ask you to try opening your eye again in a moment...You were very brave, protecting the Bride-builder like that, Kakashi." I say while exerting chakra into his face.

He attempted a laugh, which sounded more like a sob, before looking over at Naruto.

"Well he was just standing there...Shaking like a leaf, our mission is to escort Tazuna safely until we reached his village to build his bridge..." Kakashi joked before a tear formed in his eye.

"Naruto, go and watch over the enemy with Sasuke, take Tazuna with you. Now." I order. Naruto complied quickly, getting away from my and Kakashi within seconds.

"I apologise for my lack of awareness...If I'd punched him...with more power then this wouldn't have happened Kakashi...Or perhaps...if I'd noticed him regain consciousness..." I trail off, taking a wet-wipe out of my pouch before wiping the blood away from his face.

"No, Sakura-Sensei. I held my sword too low and I wasn't strong enough. I don't need to rely on others to protect me." He shrugs off easily, hurting my heart a little.

These kids definitely mean more to me than mere strangers...It kind of hurts to receive the cold shoulder from Kakashi.

"Try opening your eye." I say to stop my thoughts going any further. However, I was met with a completely fucked up eye that surely had no functionality left in it. "Kakashi...I'm going to have to remove your eye to prevent infection..." I say as calmly as possible.

Kakashi wiped away the tear before nodding.

"I understand."

I painlessly removed the eye from his socket before sealing it in a scroll, in hopes that I could repair his eye or make a fully functional replacement. I place a cotton square and some stitching tape on his eye before frowning.

I cup his face in my hands briefly before pulling his headband down over his eye.

"I think it would be best that we covered that up for now. Let's continue, Kakashi." I said before helping him up. "If you get dizzy during our travels, please inform me and I'll take a look at your eye again." I inform him in a stern voice.

He nodded solumnly before following me to Tazuna.

"These look like Hidden mist Chuunins...and it seems to me that their primary target was you, Tazuna." I address him lazily, looking at him in anger.

Tazuna looks from me to the ground as if feeling guilty.

"This is now at least a B-ranked mission...And I can only assume you lied about your situation to spend less money. You do realise that this puts my Genin in danger...Has put my Genin in danger!?" I inform bitterly, trying my hardest not to let my emotions take over my rationality.

"I...I couldn't afford a higher ranked position. I need to get this bridge built and I have limited funds...I need the protection for the sake of my village, I need to speak with you in private." He says while ushering me away from my Genin team.

* * *

After Tazuna's long winded explanation, I understand why he desperately seeks the protection of us...But even after I try to explain to him that the village would have aided his funds if he told the truth, he simply couldn't bare the embarrassment of standing in front of the Hokage again.

"Look, Tazuna. These Genin are worth every breath they take, to me. I'm not sure that I want to take the risk of getting involved." I say while crossing my arms.

"Oh! But you already are involved! But...It's okay if you wanna ditch me it's no big deal...Only, my precious ten year old grandson will cry for months at my demise and my daughter will live every day cursing leaf ninja...but no biggie." He grumbles tacticfully.

I deadpan before shining a slight smile at my Genin.

"This mission, is more dangerous than I expected...Do you guys want to cont-" I start.

"Yes! I will prove my worth through protecting the old man!" Naruto interrupts, getting hyped up yet again.

Kakashi gives me a small nod. He fliches as his visible eye twitches...probably from the pain of his other eye, making my heart drop again.

"We should continue." Sasuke input, trying to look at me with a serious face.

"You heard the kids, let's go." Tazuna slurs before walking ahead of the group.

"What do we do with these two?" Sasuke inquires, pointing his kunai dangerously close to the chuunin tied up to the tree.

"I'll send word back to Konoha to pick them up." I inform before sighing. If Gatou was behind the last attack...he will surely send higher ranking ninja's to interfere with our mission next time...

Next time...I'll use my seal if I have to.

"I won't fail you this time." I mutter under my breath.

* * *

Luckily, We'd got into the hidden mist village without any more ambushes...But the further we delved into this mission, the more uncertain I felt about how one team could complete it. So while Tazuna wasn't looking, I wrote a request to the Hokage to send backup as soon as he could, via a bird summon.

"Tazuna...It looks like we've avoided detection so far, but just in case, we'll take the route that has vegetation...It will be harder to spot us that way." The guide who kindly offered us his wooden boat informed.

Tazuna hums in appreciation before Naruto looks around in awe.

"Any wider and your mouth will be the perfect trap to catch flies, Naruto." I murmur, not failing to notice a small smile form on Sasuke's face.

"Hey!" He shouts.

"Keep it down! Do you want us to get caught now, Idiot!?" Kakashi whispers harshly. I poke my tongue out as Naruto, earning a pink face and a bigger tongue poke back in my direction.

"This is it. Goodbye and good luck." The guide said as the boat came to a stop. I hopped off first before Tazuna and my Genin.

"Yeah, thanks." Tazuna responds before turning to me. "Now get me home safely."

"Yeah..." I respond just as unenthusiastic as him.

We all walk in silence in the direction of Tazuna's home.

Sasuke kept calm but wore a stern expression, Kakashi seemed to be calm but with him being on my right side, I couldn't read his facial expression, and Naruto seems to be a bit on edge, his eyes darting around but mainly looking at Kakashi and Sasuke.

"There!" Naruto shouts, throwing shuriken in the direction of the trees.

I look at him briefly before giving him a light smack around the head.

"No, Bad Naruto." I say.

"Hey, Idiot, don't go throwing around weapons for no reason." Sasuke scolds.

"But I swear I saw something!" He protests.

"Hey Midget! Stop acting like a moron!" Tazuna shouts before drinking out of his bottle.

I gave Naruto a look to tell him not to respond, so he bit his lip before continuing his paranoid searching. We barely walked a few more steps before Naruto throws his shuriken again. This time, I felt as if he was onto something as the air became a bit thicker.

"There!" He repeats before Sasuke punches him in the face.

"What did I just say?!"

"Ow! I swear I saw something! Bastard!"

"What did you just call me?"

"Hey, stop arguing and look at what you tried to kill, Naruto." I state, slightly suspicious of the snow rabbit cowering in front of me.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry lil' bunny!" Naruto chants over and over.

I take a quick look at my surroundings before noticing a man hiding up in the trees. He notices me as soon as I spot him and goes to throw his huge weapon at Tazuna.

The sword looks heavy as it spins at a dangerous speed.

"Oh no you don't!" I yell before, luckily, catching the handle of the sword with little struggle. my stance almost faltered as the weight of the sword tempted me to lose my balance.

"Uuuhh..." Naruto whimpers. I briefly glance at him, noticing that there was a small gap in the sword that was inches away from his neck.

"Close call, eh Naruto?" I say to keep my composure, I'm definitely fortunate that Naruto is short...Otherwise the sword would have injured him surely.

The man Jumps down from the tree, scowling at me with narrow eyes.

"So it's you...Zabuza of the Seven Swordsmen." I recognise him instantly. "Missing something?" I say as I raise his heavy sword up with ease.

"Wow! How are holding that sword up so easily, Sakura Sensei? It must weigh a tonne." Naruto asks.

"Stay back and protect the bridge builder, This guy's a rogue." I order my team. I hear them shuffle and assume they've created a human barrier like circle around Tazuna.

"I don't know who you are...But you're going to pay for getting in the way, Leaf nin!" Zabuza shouts, sprinting towards me in a dangerous way.

I bring his sword down, planting it very firmly in the ground before watching him jump back onto the river. He must have assumed that I was going to attack him with his own sword, what an idiot.

He quickly weaves handsigns on the water. Shortly afterwards thick Mist litters the scene. I scoff before turning around, smiling shortly at the group in reassurance as the mist eventually got too thick to see through.

A few seconds passed by and I could feel Sasuke's Chakra fluctuating in anticipation.

Of all teams to have encountered something as dangerous as Zabuza on their first mission...It had to be mine. I don't want the boys to get too scared that they quit as ninja...or am I being too selfish in thinking that? This is the first time in a long time that I've enjoyed working in a team.

"Don't worry, Sasuke. I'll protect you guys with my life." I state surely, walking a few steps towards my team.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Zabuza mutters just as I release the seal on my forehead.

Within the next second I hear him pull out the sword from the ground and zoom past me.

I rush to grab his arm.

He grunts in shock, surprised to have his momentum stopped after moving so fast I assume. I bend down slightly to grab his leg as I use all the strength I have to throw him out of the way.

The mist started to clear as Zabuza stood still, sword in hand, showing no sign of exhaustion.

This guy is definitely too dangerous for my team...I'll have to find them the opportune moment to get away from here.

"...Heheh...Well I never." Zabuza leans on his side and analyses me entirely.

"What's so funny! You eyebrowless freak?!" Naruto shouts. I smirk slightly at his choice of words.

"I'd never expected the Silent Shaman to belong to a village...However I did have my doubts when I first saw you..." He spoke slowly, I look back at my team for a second and feel a tonne of relief hit me.

They didn't know of that name. I will have to have a word with them later on to keep that to themselves...

"Sakura-Sensei! What should we do?! We need to fight!" Sasuke roars, I hear his voice shake at the last word.

I didn't respond. Instead I lauched myself in Zabuza's direction and aim a punch at his stomach.

It's a perfect hit.

 **SPLASH**

It's a clone...

I turn around to find that his real body was moments away from striking Naruto.

"Naruto!" I bellow before darting in his direction.

He seemed to be aware of Zabuza just as I shouted him. Naruto lunged to the side to avoid the sharp sword, skewering him alive, before using his kunai to stab him in the side, just below his ribs.

Nice one Naruto...Now I can numb his heart and capture him from there.

 **SPLASH**

No! Another clone.

"Sakura-Sensei!"

I turn around quickly only to be tackled to the ground, the hole in Zabuza's sword firmly planted itself around my neck, only inches away from my skin.

"You lose." Zabuza said before snapping both of my shins in two, if I wasn't used to such a pain I'd be screaming my lungs off...However, it seemed to be my opponents favourite place to break and including this time, I would have had my shins broken a record breaking 12 times. "Now to kill the brats!"

I grimace at the torturous pain before infusing my hands with a bit of Chakra. I squeeze my hands near my neck to push against the sword. Blood trickles from my fingers, on my hands and down my arms but I use all the strength in me to push it away from my neck.

Much to my surprise, it worked. Blood started dripping dangerously from my fingers but the sword had knocked Zabuza harshly in the head.

"It's no use. I don't want to have to kill you...But if you stand in my way any further then I will." Zabuza explained as he pushed the flat of the blade to my chest with more force than I could handle.

Why would he say something as meaningless at that? During my time as the Silent Shamen, I can't ever recall healing him as he was on the brink of death...

I get to work in quickly healing my bones enough so that I could at least walk on them when I got out of the predicament I was in.

"Naruto, Kakashi, Sasuke. Get away...The Bridgebuilder is our priority." I state, ignoring Zabuza's threat.

"What about teamwork?!" Naruto shouts. I can feel my ribs becoming more vulnerable to the metal sword pushing down on me.

"You need to work together to make sure Tazuna is safe!" I cough, side glancing at Zabuza before recalling my seal, I didn't want to waste any unnecessary chakra at this point.

Zabuza creates a clone that runs towards the group of Genin.

I use all the willpower in my body to not strike at Zabuza just yet, as I knew the outcome would either be death, or I'd be forced down on my stomach, rendering me in a more useless position.

"That won't work!" I hear Zabuza's clone say.

I was about to look in the direction of my team but thanked my lucky stars that I didn't otherwise my chin would have been completely cut off by a speeding demon wind shuriken.

Zabuza jumped off me with his sword in his hand, glaring at the direction of my team.

I quickly scramble onto my feet as I hear Zabuza's water clone getting destroyed by either Sasuke or Kakashi.

"I'm not even impressed that-Gwuah!" Zabuza was cut short after I saw one of the demon wind shuriken that was aimed at Zabuza form back into Naruto who threw the remaining shuriken at the back of Zabuza.

He grunts in pain and decends to the ground, breathless and bloody before falling back on a tree.

 _Now's_ my chance to capture and question him.

* * *

 ** _A.N: SO SO Sorry for taking so long in updating! I've been super busy and I've yet to even double check this chapter for any spelling/grammatical mistakes! so please excuse those and I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'll try to update quicker for Chapter three!_**


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